I wonder if this will work in a copper tube and if it will be strong enough to move vertically. That will be a fun experiment. It will probably need some copper fingers on the magnet or aluminum foil as fingers on the magnet for better contact.

You could also use test tubes. You will have to cut them. Check instructables on how to cut bottles.

I think this is a great idea to have decorative tubes lighted up. To add to the discussion if you search eBay for "dollhouse glass domes" you will find glass tubes that you could use to make it look more real.

It would be nice to post instructions in a instructables site. If the content is good people dont care for grammar or spelling. Maybe "Instructables" dont translate well in sites like Babelfish or Worldlingo.

The only time I have come across a motor that is 2 wires and works like a stepper (if one can call it stepper motor) is the motors inside clocks. These motors just have a round magnet and a coil. The coil needs to be reversed for every pulse and the motor spin 1/4-1/2 turn for every pulse with very little torque.

The ones that use the DC motors usually have a encoder. The encoder here looks like it is in front of the motor, the slotted wheel with a IR sensor.